Report: Women’s Triple Jump qualifying – Moscow 2013

This morning’s qualifying round did nothing but simply
underline the poor standards in the women’s Triple Jump, because for the first
time since the event made its debut at the World Championships in 1993, a mark
below 14 metres was enough to make the final.

It wasn’t as though just one finalist scraped through under
that barrier either as three of the top 12 recorded marks that began with the
‘13’ – a lucky number for them on this occasion.

There were few surprises at the top end of the round as
defending World champion Olha Saladuha produced the top mark of the round with
14.69m in group A. As expected, world leader Caterine Ibarguen topped the other
group with a mark of 14.52m.

The automatic qualifying mark had already been set to its
lowest level for eight years at just 14.30m, but even then only seven women
surpassed it.

Behind the top two gold-medal contenders, Hanna
Knyazyeva-Minenko was the best of the rest. The former Ukrainian, now
representing Israel, overcame two fouls to land at 14.46m on her third and
final attempt, taking off way behind the plasticine.

Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams was the next best, the Olympic
finalist jumping 14.36m in round two after opening with 14.25m.

Three Russian athletes then followed in the overall standings,
the host nation trio recording marks within just four centimetres of one
another. 10 years after making her debut at these championships, Anna Pyatykh
booked a spot in her fifth World Championships final with a leap of 14.34m.

Like Pyatykh, Cuba’s Mabel Gay is also competing at her
fifth World Championships. The 2009 World silver medallist was the best of the
non-automatic qualifiers with 14.17m, a mark matched by Slovenia’s Snezana
Rodic.

Poland’s Anna Jagaciak (13.96m), Greece’s Athanasia Perra
(13.92m) and Slovak Republic’s Dana Veldakova (13.88m) were perhaps surprised
to find that their marks were good enough for a place in the final.

Brazil’s Keila Costa, who has this year set a national
record of 14.58m, was well below her best this morning and missed out on the
final by one place after jumping just 13.82m.

Italy’s 2011 European indoor champion Simona La Mantia and
Greece’s Niki Panetta were also perhaps harbouring ambitions of being in the
final, but were left disappointed.

It has been almost three years since the 15-metre mark was
last broken in this event – the longest span with no jumps past that barrier
since the mark was first achieved back in 1993. The depth of this morning’s
qualifying round may not be too promising, but there are at least two athletes
in the final capable of threatening 15 metres. Here’s hoping they can spur each
other on to spark new life into the event.